


Immortals

by soulfulsin



Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-05
Updated: 2019-11-20
Packaged: 2020-11-24 01:50:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 17,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20899673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soulfulsin/pseuds/soulfulsin
Summary: Webby discovers Lena, left for dead, on the bridge between St. Canard and Duckburg. Magica has her powers back and Lena is barely holding on. Where has Magica gone? How will Lena survive without Magica's powers to sustain her?And will Lena be able to tell Webby how she really feels about her (and will it be reciprocated)?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, so, WebLena. Again. XD Aged up to fifteen/sixteen. 
> 
> Not sure this'll get any views, to be perfectly honest. This is something I'm writing to take the edge off--irl's been a mess, as I've mentioned in another story. Long story short, major medical issues for my mom. So this helps blow off steam.

It was cold and windy outside and Webby stepped gingerly along the edges of the Audubon Bridge. She’d received a cryptic text message telling her to come alone. Of course, Dewey had insisted on tagging along and Webby was wary of anyone telling her she should show by herself, especially if that person could’ve been a FOWL agent in disguise. So she’d taken all three boys with her. 

The rain lashed her face and she was on the outskirts of Duckburg, closer to St. Canard than her hometown. A note, soaked and illegible, was beside a still figure. Webby fell to her knees.

“Lena!” she cried. Lena had been missing for the last day and a half and here she was, lying facedown on the pavement. Webby turned her over, although it didn’t matter if she was breathing or not. She was a shadow, after all. And right now, she was nebulous with a physical form. It seemed to ebb and fade in and out.

Webby cradled her best friend to her in the hopes she’d awaken. She didn’t. Even her weight was insubstantial and Webby’s gaze flew to Lena’s chest toward what should’ve been there. The amulet, which powered Lena’s magic and substantiated her physical form, was gone. 

Yet if the amulet wasn’t there, then how was Lena still around? Lena appeared to be breathing, too, albeit shallowly. Webby shook her again and Lena’s eyes opened. Her gaze was unfocused.

“You know, there’s no point in leaving a note in the pouring rain,” Louie grumbled.

“I know who did this without the note,” Webby said quietly, her voice trembling as she concealed rage. “Magica de Spell.”

Who else would’ve had a vendetta against Lena? Lena moaned and her gaze finally landed on Webby.

“It’s you,” Lena said faintly. “You came.”

Her form was starting to resemble the tulpas from five years ago with the way it coalesced and then deconstructed. Webby’s friendship bracelet was glowing and Lena’s gaze fastened onto it in turn. When next the shadow construct spoke, her voice was fragile, teetering in and out.

“Looks like she couldn’t finish me off without you, pink.”

“We need to get out of the rain and back to McDuck Manor,” Huey said. “We need to figure out a way to fix this.”

“How did Magica take your amulet when it was inside you?” Webby asked. Lena panted, raising her hand to cup Webby’s cheek. Webby held Lena’s hand against hers and willed strength into her best friend.

“That’s the thing. I don’t remember.”

Lena moved her head slowly. “Where’s Vi?”

“She couldn’t come on such short notice,” Webby said. Lena was growing transparent and, alarmed, Webby clutched her tighter. That seemed to stabilize her and Webby released a ragged sigh. Huey was right--they needed to get out of the cold and wet. Walking wasn’t an option, either. She knew without asking that Lena couldn’t walk back to Duckburg and McDuck Manor. In truth, she didn’t know how Lena had survived this long without her amulet.

“And we didn’t know what the cryptic text was, never mind that it was about you,” Dewey added.

“Makes sense,” Lena murmured, head lolling to the side against Webby’s shoulder. “Hey, pink? Got a bone to pick with you.”

“Save it for when we get back home,” Webby advised and Lena smiled.

“Magica sent that text three hours ago,” Lena whispered. “How come you didn’t come until now?”

Webby pulled her phone out of her skirt pocket and frowned down at the screen. She ignored the raindrops obscuring her lock screen, which was a picture of her, Violet, and Lena. When she unlocked her phone, albeit with difficulty due to the touch screen's conflicting input, she checked the timestamp on the cryptic text. It was dated thirty minutes ago.

“No, she didn’t…” Webby said.

“She must’ve timed it, then,” Lena croaked. “She wouldn’t want you to show up too soon.”

“We’re gonna get you home and we’re gonna fix this,” Webby said, determined. She noticed that Lena’s cheek was damp with what looked like blood. Did shadows bleed? Webby brushed her fingertips along Lena’s cheek and realized that she didn’t know if Magica had bled onto Lena or if Lena herself had been injured. Beyond what she’d already experienced, that was.

“I called Launchpad,” Dewey said. “He’s in St. Canard with Darkwing Duck, so he should be here soon.”

“You can hang on that long, right?” Webby whispered. Lena pushed herself up, though the effort that it must have required was considerable. She tilted her head towards Webby and leaned forward. Webby, wondering what Lena was thinking, leaned forward too. 

Lena collapsed back against Webby’s arms with a soft groan. Her eyelids fluttered again and this time, when she passed out, she stayed unconscious. 

“My guess is that your friendship bracelet is the only thing keeping her tethered to this plane of reality,” Huey said, frowning. 

“I thought you didn’t like magic,” Webby teased, but there was very little humor in her tone.

“I’ve been hanging out with Violet,” Huey said with a shrug. He studied Lena in Webby’s arms. “I wonder what she was trying to do.”

Louie rolled his eyes and stuffed his hands into his pockets. “It’s been five years and you still don’t get it. Do I have to draw you two a picture?”

“A picture of what?” Webby asked. She was rapidly becoming soaked in this downpour and anxiety squeezed her chest. Dewey put a hand on her shoulder and glared at his younger brother. Doubtless, he had no idea what Louie was talking about either.

“Never mind,” Louie groused. “I just hope Launchpad gets here soon.”

“Seriously, what is he talking about?” Webby asked, appealing to Huey. Huey frowned, studying both girls in the rain. He opened his mouth and then shut it, shaking his head. Webby was too worried to be vexed with him. Lena had stopped fading in and out, but she still felt ephemeral to Webby. Her stomach clenched.

“If it helps, I have no idea what they’re talking about,” Dewey ventured and Webby wanted to smile at him, but she couldn’t muster it. Instead, she nodded. What _had _Lena been about to do, anyway?

And how had Magica absconded with Lena’s powers and left the shadow girl here? It couldn’t have been all the friendship bracelet; Webby hadn’t been present to keep Lena “alive”, so to speak. She had a hunch she’d been spending time with Violet digging up the answers, along with the more vital question.

Where was Magica de Spell now?


	2. Chapter 2

They situated Lena in Webby’s room. Reluctant to leave her best friend even for a minute and beset with worry about her, Webby texted Violet to come. Lena had remained insensible, occasionally rousing to look about her and reassure herself that Webby hadn’t left her. Webby stroked her face and studied her; she still had no explanation for how Magica had ripped the amulet out. If she concentrated on Lena’s chest, she saw the gaping hole, which her form covered and alternatively revealed. It sickened Webby.

She curled around her on the bed. Lena’s head rested on her shoulder.

Almost losing Lena again had brought to mind all of those horrific memories, ones she thought had lost their power over her. She’d spent months trying to bring Lena back from the dead/the shadow realm and only with Violet’s help had she succeeded. And that was without Magica’s interference. 

Lena had lost her corporeal form when Magica had subsumed and then subsequentially destroyed her. Was Lena’s existence so nebulous that she could be destroyed even now? Did this mean that they’d have to guard against Magica until the sorceress was gone? Webby clenched her beak.

The weight on her shoulder lifted slightly and Webby turned her head.

“Lena?” Webby murmured. “Are you…”

She wasn’t going to ask if Lena was okay. Clearly, she wasn’t. Lena’s gaze searched hers, but for what, Webby couldn’t say. Lena pressed her palm against Webby’s cheek insistently, as if she could impute to Webby what she intended to say without speaking. Unfortunately for her, Webby was at a loss. 

“You _would _be difficult,” Lena said faintly.

“What are you talking about? You should save your strength,” Webby chided.

“For what? I’m probably dying. Again. This time, Magica wanted to make sure it lasted longer.”

“We’re gonna find her and we’re going to get your amulet back,” Webby said fiercely. “Don’t give up.”

Lena scanned her features. She didn’t know what she was looking for and she worried that although this was the most coherent Lena had been since they’d found her, it might represent a long gap between her consciousness and the next time she could speak. That was why Webby wanted her to conserve her energy. She didn’t know what would happen if Lena expended too much energy--- if she’d simply cease to exist.

“I have to tell you,” Lena whispered. “Especially since you’re too thick to get it on your own.”

She sighed. “You’re so smart, Webby. How can you be so stupid about this?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I’m not surprised.”

Lena drew a deep breath to brace herself. Her form wavered and she cursed under her breath. Briefly, she looked away and then back up into Webby’s face. She caressed Webby’s cheek.

“Whatever it is, it can wait until you’re better,” Webby said insistently.

“No, it can’t,” Lena retorted, her voice getting breathy and weak. Webby’s heart lurched.

“Stop it,” she protested. “It’s not worth it. It’s not worth losing you.”

“Maybe Louie was right…” Lena muttered. “You and Dewey really do share a brain cell.”

She knew she ought to be insulted, but she could almost never get upset with Lena. For one thing, she was frantic with worry about her. For another, she didn’t take it personally. Lena’s hand fell from her face. 

“Lena, _please_…” 

The door opened and Lena groaned, rolling her head over. “You have the worst timing ever, Violet.”

Violet appeared much the same as she had at eleven, only she had exchanged her green shirt for a black overcoat. She frowned, studying the two of them in Webby’s bed. She sighed. 

“I told you two days ago you needed to spell it out for her, Lena,” Violet scolded.

“Spell _what _out?” Webby demanded.

“Then you tell her!” Lena said. Her voice was growing progressively weaker and her breathing was shallow and rapid. Whatever Lena considered so important was costing her dearly. Webby couldn’t stand it.

“It’s not quite the same coming from me,” Violet reminded her. 

“Why are you such a pain…” Lena whispered.

“Could someone please tell me what’s going on? What are you keeping from me?” Webby demanded.

Violet was carrying a pile of books and she dumped them on the floor in front of Webby’s bed. She put a hand on Lena’s forehead, perhaps to check her temperature. Lena threw her a disgusted look. 

“I don’t have a fever,” Lena rasped. “I’m dying.”

“Magica stole your amulet,” Violet observed.

“Yes…” Lena’s voice was so faint as to be almost indistinguishable. She sagged against the bed and her eyelids fluttered closed. Her breathing remained strained and Webby feared it’d cease altogether. She shot Violet a querying look, but Violet had opened a book and was ignoring her.

“There might be a way to stabilize you, at least for the time being,” Violet mused. “But it’s going to require you to be in contact with Webby or no further than five feet away at all times.”

“...sounds familiar…” Lena whispered.

“It’s your best bet until we find Magica,” Violet continued.

Violet indicated that Webby join hands with her. Webby intertwined her fingers with Lena’s transparent ones. It felt like she was fading away before her eyes and it tightened her throat. What were Violet and Lena keeping from her?

Webby and Violet read the magical words in Latin and a glow surrounded Lena. Webby willed her strength into her best friend because her fear of losing her was choking her. She couldn’t lose her, not again. Webby’s eyes burned with tears she refused to shed. 

The glow was green, reminding her unpleasantly of Magica’s feathers when imbued with magic. It dissolved into Lena and Lena coughed, curling up onto her side. She wasn’t transparent anymore, thankfully, but she looked wan and ill. She squeezed Webby’s hand with more energy than she’d displayed before. 

“It feels like someone took a meat grinder to my insides,” Lena groaned. “I’m not sure this is much of an improvement, Vi.”

“You’re no longer dying, are you?” Violet asked sharply.

“That’s debatable.”

“What were you going to tell me?” Webby demanded, desperate now.

Lena coughed again, twisting into a ball. When she leaned over the bed, black goo came out of her instead of blood. Webby’s heartbeat went into overdrive. Panic swamped her. 

“That’s not good,” Lena observed weakly. “Are you _sure _this is how it’s supposed to go? This feels like a different path to the same result.”

“There must be something else in there,” Webby said, refusing to release Lena’s hand. Violet paged through the book; she was trying to puzzle out where she’d gone wrong. Meanwhile, Lena was coughing up more black goo that Webby assumed was whatever a shadow had fueling her. Every time she did so, she thought she’d throw up too.

Lena’s grip tightened on Webby’s hand. 

“I swear, Violet, if you screwed this up…” Lena warned.

“I didn’t,” Violet protested, vaguely offended. She located another page and beckoned to Webby for her hand again. Webby offered it, albeit with misgivings now. The last attempt hadn’t gone well. On the plus side, Lena was no longer fading from existence. On the other hand, she appeared to be hacking out whatever passed for the lungs in a shadow creature. At least Lena could age now, but Webby wasn’t sure that was a blessing at the moment.

They completed the next Latin chant and Lena’s grip slackened. She stopped coughing.

“I feel like I got run over by an eighteen-wheeler, but, yeah, this is an improvement,” Lena groaned.

“Is it?” Webby said, uncertain whether she was being sarcastic or meant it. Sometimes, it was hard to tell.

“Yeah, it is,” Lena reassured her. She looked at Violet. “I assume you dried out the note.”

Violet nodded. “Huey did. He said there’s a way to figure out what the note said, as well, using his Junior Woodchuck Guidebook.”

“Nerd,” Lena scoffed. She relaxed against the pillows. “I’m gonna sleep for a while.”

Then, without any further prompting, she passed out. Her breathing was soft and regular now and the knot in Webby’s chest loosened. It didn’t disappear entirely, however. She sensed that Lena was far from all right. If anything, this was a temporary reprieve.

“So she didn’t tell you,” Violet commented.

“Tell me what?” Webby asked, exasperated.

“That’s up to her,” Violet said. “Although I do wish she’d get on with it. It’s been five years.”

“What’s been five years?” Webby demanded.

“Oh, no, you are not going to trick me into revealing it. This is up to her and her alone,” Violet replied. She glanced over at her honorary sister and smiled. 

Webby groaned, not realizing how tired she was until the danger had temporarily passed. She slumped against her bed. 

“I don’t suppose you have any leads on Magica de Spell?” Violet queried and Webby shook her head.

“That was too much to hope for, I suppose,” Violet replied, shaking her head in response. “Why wait so long if this was her ultimate goal?” 

Webby had no answers, but then again, she knew Violet was conjecturing. She didn’t know either. She pushed herself to her feet and, collapsing onto the bed, wrapped her arms around Lena. 

“You aren’t helping matters,” Violet informed her.

“I’m not going to ask, because you’re not going to tell me,” Webby huffed.

Violet simply shook her head. There didn’t seem to be anything to add and they lapsed into silence, with Violet paging through the book and Webby studying her best friend. It almost felt like there was a hole in her chest where Lena’s amulet ought to be. 

It was late and she ought to go to sleep, but sleep was a long way in coming. Even after she’d closed her eyes and Violet had turned off the light, Webby lay awake, unable to turn off her mind and the single brain cell Lena had accused her of sharing with Dewey.


	3. Chapter 3

She awoke to Lena coughing again, deep wracking coughs that made the bed shudder. She turned on the light beside her bed and Lena was curled into a ball with her arms about her legs. Her best friend looked paler than before if that was possible, and Webby blinked, realizing that Violet had also fallen asleep in her room. She’d dug up a sleeping bag and was right beside them. It might’ve made her smile under other circumstances.

“So much for that trick, huh?” Lena said once she’d managed to get herself back under control. She looked at Webby. “You should get some sleep, pink.”

“What happened?” Webby asked. “How did Magica ambush you?”

“It was my own stupid fault,” Lena said. She leaned against Webby and ran her fingers through her hair. Webby smiled slightly, enjoying being this close to her. Sometimes, she imagined Lena had a heartbeat and she could feel it against her own.

“I got a message, I thought it was from you, I should’ve realized she’d trick me into showing alone…” Lena shrugged.

“What I don’t get is why let us have the note and the text at all if she left you for dead?” Webby said. “Not that I’m saying I’d want anything to happen to you--”

“I know. I don’t know what she’s planning,” Lena replied and frowned. “I mean, she’s normally all about the dime, or she was before I took her powers. And then she vanished for a while. I thought she gave up. I should’ve known better.”

Webby leaned back against her. “What did you want to tell me so badly?”

Lena glanced over at Violet. “She’d better stay asleep.”

Her tone was mildly threatening, but Webby knew Lena didn’t mean it. They were sisters, after all. Lena frowned at Violet for a moment longer before returning her gaze to Webby.

“Well?” Webby pressed. She was squirming in anticipation. 

“You really know how to put me on the spot,” Lena said, seeming to likewise resist the temptation to squirm. “The timing was perfect before Violet interrupted…”

“What’s wrong with the timing now?”

Lena sighed. “Nothing, pink. It’s just hard to say.”

“What is?” 

Lena sighed, casting her gaze heavenward toward the ceiling and then back at her. She remained quiet for a long, but Webby didn’t push her. With a lot of things, when it came to Lena, the best policy was to wait and watch her unfold like a rare flower blooming. She smiled encouragingly.

“Argh...I can’t think of a way to start this…”

“There’s no hurry. You’re stable now, right? It can wait if you want.”

“Yeah, until the next time Magica shows up and finishes the job.”

“Don’t say that. We’re going to find her and beat the stuffing out of her.”

“You’re adorable, you know that? But, no. I need to figure out a way to say it.”

Lena pulled away from her and Webby yelped, latching onto her again. She wasn’t sure if Violet’s prohibitions against Lena not touching her were still in play and even if they weren’t, she didn’t want Lena to leave. After the scare she’d had earlier, she was petrified she might lose her.

“Webs, I’m not going anywhere. It’d just be easier if we weren’t touching,” Lena said and rolled her eyes.

“I don’t want to let go of you.”

“Must you--?” Lena started and then huffed. “Never mind. You have to promise me one thing. If you don’t like what I’m going to say, don’t throw me out.”

“Why would I throw you out? I’d never do anything like that!” she objected. “I love you!”

“Pale or flushed?” Lena muttered. Webby stared, uncertain about the reference. Louder, Lena said, “Never mind. But you didn’t promise me.”

“You know I’d never throw you out. Lena…” 

What was so upsetting that she thought Webby might turn on her? She wasn’t working for Magica de Spell again. Webby knew that for certain. And Lena would never betray her, not willingly, not again. Even before, she hadn’t done it because she’d wanted to. So what was she afraid of? 

“Promise.”

“I promise, but...why are you so upset?”

“I’m in love with you, okay?” Lena blurted. “I’ve been in love with you for five years. Violet’s known about it for almost that long too. It’s not like I told her anything, either--she figured it out on her own.”

“And you thought I’d throw you out over that?” 

Webby held Lena tighter. To her consternation, the older girl was shaking. How long had she lived with that terror of repudiation? But why...why would Lena doubt her that much? She was too concerned about her to be upset. (That seemed to be the story of Webby’s life).

“Yeah, well, I just got attacked by Magica,” Lena said defensively. “I’m kinda having a hard time thinking logically.”

“I love you too,” Webby said, stroking Lena’s cheek. Lena turned her head and their eyes met.

“But are you in love with me?” Lena said. Webby glimpsed desperation in her eyes. Telling her the wrong thing now might cause Lena to reject her in an attempt to save face. Or protect herself. The last thing Webby wanted was for Lena to feel rejected.

Webby’s silence was lasting too long. Lena pushed her away.

“It’s fine. It’s whatever. I shouldn’t have brought it up. I should’ve known better,” Lena said. “You know what? I’m just gonna go...find a spare room...hole up in there…”

Lena’s pain was so acute that it felt like someone had stabbed Webby in the heart. 

“I don’t know if I’m in love with you. I’ve never stopped to think about it. And it’s not like I’m great with social cues,” Webby protested.

“No, you’d rather stop to think about the next adventure or mystery with Dewey,” Lena said and Webby was surprised by the jealousy and bitterness in her voice. Webby’s confusion grew. What, exactly, did Lena think was going on here? She reached out for her and Lena fell over, tripping over Violet. 

Lena swore loudly, which, combined with tripping over the sabrewing, served to rouse her.

“What is it?” Violet queried, covering her mouth to conceal a yawn. “What’s wrong, Lena?”

“Nothing. It was stupid. I’m stupid. Forget I said anything, Webby.”

Violet glanced from Webby to Lena and then back again. Her eyes widened. Without another word, she tugged Lena out of the room. Though the shadow girl was wobbly, she managed to make it out. Stunned, Webby let them go. She’d clearly misjudged the situation, but how? She had told Lena the truth, that she loved her. Was that not enough?

* * *

“I told her and she didn’t say it back,” Lena hissed. “I warned you it wouldn’t work, Vi. I told you that she isn’t in love with me and you kept insisting that I should tell her anyway. So much for your genius ideas. I almost wish you hadn’t found me.”

“Don’t say that,” Violet scolded. “You realize that Webbigail misreads social cues all the time? That she may be in love with you but not know it because of her lack of socialization when she was younger? You shouldn’t abandon hope.”

“Why not?” Lena said. She turned away. “Magica almost killed me and it’s Webby that hurts worse. At least I know where I stand with Aunt Magica. I thought I knew with Webby…”

Tears pricked the corners of her eyes and Lena swiped at them. It had taken so much courage to tell Webby how she’d felt and it’d fallen apart right before her eyes. Her beak quivered and she swallowed past a lump in her throat. For years, she’d envisioned the different ways that this could go. Only in her worst imaginings had she predicted Webby rejecting her, but she ought to have known better.

_“You’re a monster! Just like your aunt!”_

“You surprised her. She doesn’t want you to leave,” Violet said.

“She’s probably in love with Dewey or one of the other triplets,” Lena muttered, staring at the wall and unwilling to make eye contact with her sister.

“I highly doubt it,” Violet said. “They’re siblings, not romantic interests.”

Lena tried to walk away, but her legs wobbled again and she hissed. “Great. I’m going to be stuck to her until you find Aunt Magica…”

And Webby didn’t care for Lena the same way Lena cared for her. The ache that induced was excruciating, where the amulet should’ve been, where her heart would’ve been if she were alive. Maybe if she was lucky, she could fade away into nothingness. After all, she was a shadow. She’d done it before. And it’d been because of Webby before too. That girl had an unnatural hold on her. She always had.

“Lena?” 

Webby poked her head out of her room and grabbed Lena’s hands.

_“Dumb, dumb little Lena.”_

“Don’t run away,” Webby implored. 

_“...you sentimental fool…” “You care more about your stupid little friend than you do about your freedom…”_

“It doesn’t look like I have a choice,” Lena said wearily. 

Violet gave her a look that implied the conversation wasn’t over, merely postponed, and Lena stifled a groan. Yeah, that was just what she needed. Another lecture from her sister. Violet thought she knew everything. Booksmart didn’t always translate into other things. 

Webby stood up on her tiptoes--Lena remained taller than her and suspected she always would be--and kissed her on the cheek. Lena’s eyes widened. Was that a friendly kiss or something else? How was she supposed to know? Damn it, she wished Webby could be clearer.

“It’s late. We should go back to sleep,” Webby said and yawned.

Now that she mentioned it, Lena remained exhausted. She was as tired as she’d been trapped in the shadow realm when her energy had been at a constant low ebb. At least she had a corporeal form this time, but considering everything going on, she wasn’t sure that wasn’t a curse in disguise.

“All right,” Lena agreed. “We can go to sleep for a while.”

Or forever. Maybe when she woke up, this would all be over and it’d be a horrible nightmare, not reality. Too bad things never quite worked out that way. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's notes here because I'm not sure when I'll update Kiss of the Dragon.
> 
> So, the reason that my updates are going to be sporadic and might be at odd times is because my mom was diagnosed with cancer last Monday. Things have been...unsettled since then. I'm still working on my writing, because it helps distract me. But it means I'm working on whatever calms me down more, which means my writing is uneven. Heh.

It was almost noon and Lena had barely slept. The few dreams she’d had revolved around Magica de Spell nearly killing her or succeeding in it. Or, worse, Webby rejecting her. She wasn’t hungry enough to eat breakfast and she didn’t feel like lunch, either. Violet had gone home and Webby didn’t want to let Lena out of her sight, as if she feared she might disappear into nothingness otherwise.

Lena knew Webby’s heart was in the right place, but being around her only reminded her that Webby had said “I love you”, but not “I’m in love with you”. The distinction was crucial. There were different types of love, after all, and Webby’s constant presence was rubbing salt in the wound. She didn’t want to snap at her, it wasn’t her fault, but it made Lena feel like garbage. Unrequited love was worse than Magica nearly killing her. She knew Magica hated her. Webby was something different. She always was.

She’d kissed her on the cheek, but whether that meant anything, Lena didn’t know. At present, Lena had found a quiet backroom to hole herself up in. She’d managed to ditch Webby, which was something she never thought she’d say. Then again, Webby knew the manor much better than Lena did, so it was only a matter of time before the energetic young girl found her. Lena sighed, hugging her knees.

“Lena?” 

Webby. Lena groaned, lifting her head.

“Hey, pink. You found me,” she said. Webby sat beside her and held her hands. If Webby was going to do this weird, prolonged friendship routine, then Lena was out of here. It didn’t matter if she had to crawl out of McDuck Manor; she’d do whatever she could. 

“Are you okay? You’ve been acting kinda weird.”

“You mean, aside from the whole almost dying thing? I’m _fine_. Don’t worry about it.”

“I talked to Violet before she left,” Webby continued. 

Lena was afraid to ask what the other girl had said. Violet had sworn up and down she wouldn’t meddle, but then again, why would Lena have taken her at her word? Why should she trust anyone? The world turned upside down. Lena placed her hand where her amulet would’ve been and sighed.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“For one thing, you didn’t say it back,” Lena said. She did not want to be having this conversation. Her chest ached and she was exhausted. All she wanted to do was go to sleep and not wake up. Was that so much to ask?

“I told you I loved you...wasn’t that enough?” 

“You didn’t say you were _in _love with me. Look, whatever. It’s fine, like I said. It’s my problem. I’ll deal with it on my own.”

“Not if it hurts you,” Webby protested. She leaned forward and Lena’s heart was in her throat. Or whatever passed for her heart since she didn’t have that or an amulet powering her. She wished if Webby was about to disappoint her horribly, that she’d get it over with so that Lena could return to brooding alone.

“Webs, everything hurts right now. What’s one more thing?” 

Webby looked pained and Lena stroked her cheek. She didn’t want Webby to suffer just because she was. That wasn’t fair to her. And anyway, she’d deal with it like she would’ve dealt with being trapped in the Shadow Realm. She wouldn’t have been happy there, but, hey, at least Webby would’ve been, right? Eventually, she would’ve given up on her and moved on with her life.

“It’s not--”

Lena didn’t get a chance to finish her denial. Webby leaned forward and kissed her on the beak. Lena prayed fervently that Webby wasn’t doing this as an experiment. She didn’t think she could take being jerked around right now. Her beak on hers was electrifying and soothing simultaneously, an odd combination of sparks and rightness like they were meant to be together. Lena knew she had to be out of her mind. She was delirious, that was it. After Magica’s attack, she’d succumbed to insanity. Only in her wildest dreams had Webby kissed her.

Lena cupped the back of Webby’s head with her hand and kissed her back. If this was a hallucination, then it was pretty convincing. Moreover, she thought she might as well get her money’s worth out of it before everything returned to the hell that was her life. Webby shifted position, moving into Lena’s lap and Lena wrapped her arms about the smaller girl. 

“It’s not what?” Webby whispered once they’d broken off the kiss and had regained their breath. “Important? You’re so hard on yourself.”

There were a million questions vying for attention in Lena’s mind, but the only one that seemed important was the one that burst from her beak.

“_Are _you in love with me?”

Webby shifted so that her head rested against Lena’s shoulder. “I didn’t know what it was. I’m still not sure. But I love you. And I hate seeing you in pain. I want you to be happy.”

Lena’s smile was bleak. “That’s a tall order right now, pink.”

“You’ll be happy even if it means I have to kiss you until I get it right,” Webby said and Lena smiled.

“Is that a threat?” Lena replied and smiled. Webby kissed her again and this time, there was no hesitation on Lena’s part. She kissed her passionately, emphatically. Their fingers intertwined and the friendship bracelet was a warm presence on Webby’s wrist. Lena leaned forward, her chest pressed up against Webby’s.

They kissed until they were both dizzy. As they broke apart, they heard sarcastic applause and turned around. Violet was standing in the doorway.

“I had a bet with Louie on how long it would take you two to finally get together,” Violet said. “I owe him ten dollars. I thought it would take you longer.”

“Hey!” Lena sputtered, reddening. She sprang to her feet. Violet smirked and turned around. To Lena’s chagrin, Louie was right behind her and waiting for his money. She groaned, facepalming. 

“I guess everyone knew but me, huh?” Webby said.

“Yeah…” Lena said, beet red now. She groaned. “I can’t believe Louie actually had bets going.”

“Are you feeling better?” Webby asked.

“It’s weird, but, yeah, I am,” Lena confessed. She let Webby pull her back down to the couch and kiss her again. Besides, she felt like she needed to redo the last one. She’d been too rushed and anyway, Webby wasn’t exactly complaining. If only Lena’s chest wasn’t aching and her fatigue wasn’t so high…

When they pulled apart again, Lena was dizzy and seeing spots. This, she suspected, had nothing to do with the kissing and everything to do with Magica having her amulet. She collapsed against the opposite side of the sofa and groaned. The world was spinning and she couldn’t quite hear Webby fussing over her, though she was sure she was. 

She stayed in that strange, semi-aware state until eventually her strength ebbed and she passed out. On the plus side, she knew Webby loved her and was in love with her. She thought, with that in mind, she could handle other things. Just...not right now. 

* * *

Magica de Spell had returned to her old lair at Vesuvius. Now that she _finally _had her magic back, no thanks to that ungrateful brat, she needed to make up for the lost time. She was surprised that the shadow had survived after Magica had ripped her amulet out. Then again, she probably wouldn’t survive for too long. Magica snorted. What did she care what became of her “niece”? Lena had it coming for harboring her powers for so long.

No, now that Magica had her powers back, she had more important things than her. She might actually be able to defeat Scrooge McDuck once and for all, too. With that, she might take on Webster too, just to get her out of the way. She was sure that she’d be all distraught over Lena’s demise. Such attachment to a shadow. Magica snorted. Lena wasn’t _real_.

At present, Magica was preparing a concoction that ought to permit her to shapeshift. Unfortunately, the first option for doing so was an ugly vulture. Still, she might be able to wheedle Glomgold into helping her and getting the dime. With the dime, her powers would be even stronger. The dime was more than currency; it was a symbol of Scrooge’s hard work and perseverance. It would be imbued with all of his energy, including supernatural powers because he had achieved longevity, far longer than a normal man ought to live.

Once she had the dime, she wouldn’t hesitate to strike down all of her foes at once.

And how glorious that would be. She quite looked forward to it.

For now, she was in a stronger position than she’d been in before. She hadn’t been this strong in five years. She relished the power surging through her veins. Nothing was going to impede her now. Nothing and no one. 

She conjured an image of Webby and sliced it neatly through the neck. Bye, bye, the thorn in her side. How sweet revenge would be. How very sweet indeed.

* * *

Webby’s heart pounded as she looked at Lena. Her girlfriend? Was that what she was now? They’d moved her from the couch and back into Webby’s room, where Webby could better keep an eye on her. Violet had admonished her, saying that while it was good that they’d finally settled the matter, it’d taken too much out of Lena. Lena was weak enough as it was.

So Webby was reading up on magical theory and trying to figure out a way to infuse Lena with more strength while Lena napped on her bed. The shadow girl had curled into a ball and every once in awhile, Webby stroked her cheek to stop her whimpering. She still had nightmares, even without Magica meddling in her dreams.

“I love you,” Webby whispered. “How could you ever doubt it?”

“Oh, I can think of a few reasons,” Violet said. She had brought Huey and Dewey with her. They had agreed to help with research, although Dewey’s ADD might get in the way. She thought of Lena’s barbs earlier and wondered whether Lena had thought she had feelings for Dewey. They were siblings, nothing more. She loved Dewey too, but not in the same way. She wished that Lena had understood that sooner.

“First, we need to find a way to track Magica,” Huey said. 

“And fortunately for us, Lena is composed of Magica’s magic,” Violet said and grimaced. “Well, perhaps ‘fortunate’ is a bad turn of phrase. But we can use her magic against her.”

“So, what are we waiting for?” Dewey asked, bouncing onto the bed and beside Webby. “Let’s do it.”

“We need to find the right incantation first,” Violet scolded. “And we need to prepare. Magic isn’t a one and done deal.”

She glanced at Lena. “She’s better than she was when we first found her, Webbigail.”

“I know, but…” Webby frowned.

“Her continued existence is a strong argument that Magica’s abilities are not the only thing sustaining her,” Violet said. “That would mean that we might be able to give her another power source, one less liable to manipulation by her ‘aunt’.”

Webby nodded.

“But that’s further down the line,” Violet allowed. “For now, we shall focus on what we can control.”

Webby glanced over at Lena. Her beak tingled from their kisses. She wasn’t going to lose her again. Magica wasn’t going to win. She’d find a way to defeat her even if it meant combing through every book in the Duckburg Library and more besides. She loved her too much to let go.


	5. Chapter 5

Lena was groggy as she poked at her Fruit-Loops. She wasn’t particularly hungry, but she knew if she didn’t eat, Webby would make unhappy noises. Her tired had a tired. She was so exhausted she felt like she could melt through the chair and into the floor. Groaning, she flopped back into her chair...and came to herself to discover she’d sunk through it and was on the floor.

“Lena!” Webby gasped and Lena looked at herself. She’d gone translucent and shadowy again. With a grimace, she straightened herself out.

“I’m fine now. See? Perfectly normal,” Lena said, pushing herself to her feet. 

“You lost coherence and fell through your seat,” Violet observed. “That is not normal.”

“It was a minor setback,” Lena said. She sat back down and Webby was watching her avidly, a little too closely for Lena’s tastes. They were sitting at the main table and the triplets had likewise stopped eating to watch her. Lena grimaced. Just what she wanted, everyone’s attention.

“Are ye all right, lass?” Scrooge queried.

“Fine, fine, fine, I’m _fine_,” Lena growled. “Can’t I just eat in peace?”

“You weren’t eating, to begin with,” Violet observed and Lena threw a Fruit-Loop at her face. Scowling, she wondered whether she might be better off ending this farce and returning to Webby’s room. She wasn’t hungry and apparently, she wasn’t in control of her form anymore either. Oh, Aunt Magica would _love _this. Of course, she’d love it even more if it was a prelude to killing her again, this time for good. 

Her chest was killing her and it was hard to breathe. Lena knew she was tethered to the friendship bracelet, that it was the only thing sustaining her now, but it was doing a subpar job. Lena choked, coughing up more black bile. By now, anyone who wasn’t watching her had their eyes on her, including Mrs. Beakley. Lena didn’t have the energy to care. She curled up with her arms about her legs and coughed harder, feeling like she was about to hack what passed for her lungs out. 

“Lena!” Webby cried, dismayed, and Huey grabbed her before she faceplanted into her cereal bowl. She couldn’t even speak to say she was all right, which would’ve been a blatant lie, anyway. 

When the coughing receded, she felt as weak as a newborn kitten. She didn’t have the strength to remain upright, which was why it was a good thing that Huey was supporting her. Webby and Violet were nearby and Webby’s eyes had filled with tears, which she ignored. That was her Webby, always putting other people’s problems before her own. 

“I told you, pink,” Lena rasped, “stop worrying about me.”

Webby glowered at her or tried to, but it was hard when she was obviously deeply concerned. 

“I suggest we look for a fortification spell pronto,” Violet said. “Before the situation deteriorates further.”

“I can walk,” Lena protested as Webby, Huey, and Violet offered to help her. She took one step and promptly crashed into the floor. Groaning, she attempted to roll over. This was ridiculous. She’d never been this helpless before. It was terrifying, to be perfectly honest. She was utterly dependent on the others and it was a good thing she trusted them or she’d really be up the creek without a paddle.

“I don’t think you should attempt walking anywhere,” Mrs. Beakley said disapprovingly. She swept the others aside and scooped Lena up into her arms as if she weighed nothing. Then again, to her and to Webby, Lena probably weighed very little. She _felt _insubstantial.

“It was just one little fall. And one little coughing fit. And one slip through the chair,” Lena protested. “It could happen to anyone.”

“Anyone who is a shadow, perhaps,” Mrs. Beakley said, still disapproving. “You need rest, Lena.”

“I guess,” Lena agreed reluctantly. She huffed. “Why can’t I just be normal?”

“It would appear that without the amulet to anchor you to this plane, your magic and your form are erratic,” Violet observed.

“Yes, thank you, Captain Obvious,” Lena said sarcastically. “Any more sagacious advice?”

“I’m surprised you knew that word,” Violet remarked.

“Your nerdiness is rubbing off on me, Vi,” Lena replied. Her voice was weak and she was shaking. She felt an old coldness, one that no heat could penetrate. It seemed to be seeping into her body.

Mrs. Beakley situated Lena in Webby’s bed and Lena groaned, hating that she was being a burden. She had already felt like a burden before, not to mention a mistake and purposeless. Her PTSD from Aunt Magica was kicking her ass right now. And she was exhausted again though she’d done nothing to merit it. She hadn’t even tried eating breakfast.

She let herself drift off while Webby, Violet, and Huey paged through books on the supernatural. As if they’d find anything about her in there. It wasn’t like Lena was a known element. No one had ever studied magical sentient shadows at length before. 

“What if we do this?” Webby suggested and then something incredibly warm, but not painfully hot, touched her wrist. Lena sat up, befuddled. It was Webby’s friendship bracelet. The coldness receded and she felt, while not 100%, far better than she had. For one thing, she had the energy to sit up, which was more than she could’ve said earlier.

“Huh. That appears to have done the trick, at least temporarily,” Violet mused. “How do you feel, Lena?”

“Like I’m wearing two friendship bracelets,” Lena muttered. Louder, she said, “Okay, I guess. I’m not dizzy, but my chest still hurts.”

“Where the amulet was removed, I presume,” Violet said and Lena nodded. Violet added, “Temporarily, it appears that the bracelet will stabilize you.”

Lena brushed her fingers along the bracelet, which was warm both from the magic and from Webby’s body. Impulsively, she leaned forward and hugged Webby tightly. Webby hugged her back and stroked her hair. She loved playing with that little pink floof.

“We need to take the fight to her,” Webby said. “We need to figure out where she is.”

“I concur,” Violet replied. “And with Lena’s condition as good as it appears it’s going to get, for the time being, we need to work fast. Thankfully, I collected specimens at the breakfast table.”

“You collected…?” Lena blinked. “You bottled my shadow bile? What the hell, Violet?”

“I thought it’d prove beneficial in my research,” Violet said, unrepentant. “It is ectoplasmic magic resonating with Magica de Spell’s aura, is it not?”

“I...I guess...but that’s still gross, Vi.”

Violet produced the plate with the goo on it. Apparently, she hadn’t had time to put it in a sterile container, which was fine because Lena was thinking of her goo as Jell-o now and that was a mental image she so did not want to have. Looking at it disturbed her as it swirled about the plate as if it were something alive. 

“Now, how to properly harness its powers…” Violet said, frowning.

“Maybe we should ask Gyro and Fenton for help,” Huey suggested. “Science could create a tracker.”

“A tracer to aid in locating a magic-user?” Violet said. “Hmm. It has merit, but I’m not certain science has advanced that far.”

“I can tell you where I think she is,” Lena said. “She’s probably on Mount Vesuvius powering up before returning to Duckburg to take on Scrooge.”

“Huh. I should have thought of that,” Violet said. She placed a hand on Lena’s forehead as if to take her temperature. “You feel cool to the touch, but not as if you had hypothermia, which you felt like before.”

“I was _that _cold?” Lena blinked. She looked over at Webby. “And that didn’t bother you?”

“I thought I could warm you up,” Webby said, blushing. She was still playing with her floof and she leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek. Lena’s stomach did a flip-flop. She was not getting used to this any time soon.

“This is all very fascinating, particularly as it took you two so long to come to terms with it, but we have a mission,” Violet reminded them. 

Webby nodded. 

“We need to ask Launchpad to take us to Mount Vesuvius,” Huey said.

“We might wanna ask Uncle Scrooge to come with us,” Webby said. “This does concern him, considering that Magica’s on the loose again.”

“Yay, family trip,” Lena said, rolling her eyes. “Everyone’s coming.”

“Probably not Louie,” Huey said, shaking his head. “Louie hates anything that doesn’t contain a hint of treasure at the end, even if it’s into the bin and not for next of kin.”

“All right, everyone except Louie,” Lena amended.

“No offense, Lena, but you ought to stay here,” Webby said. “She could hurt you again.”

Lena bit back her response, which was _“she could kill me again, you mean”_ as it wasn’t productive and would only serve to upset them. Her eyes narrowed. Despite the prudence of her advice, Lena was ill-inclined to take it. For one thing, she hated the idea of Magica running around and Lena being powerless to stop her. Then again, without Webby’s friendship bracelet, she might’ve faded into oblivion.

“Ugh. Fine,” Lena agreed. “I’ll stay here. Where it’s ‘safe’.”

“She may have left Mount Vesuvius by the time we arrive,” Violet pointed out. “We need the tracker.”

“It’s not like she has a lot of places to go,” Lena said, rolling her eyes. “But sure, wait for the tracker. Whatever.”

“We’re gonna fix this,” Webby promised for what was probably the umpteenth time. Lena faked a smile.

“I know we are,” Lena replied, trying to have faith in her. After all, Webby had done right by her as much as she could. Lena had no reason to doubt Webby. She relaxed.

“We are,” Lena said with more sincerity.

* * *

Magica’s preparations were almost complete. Once they were, she was coming back for the brats, but particularly Scrooge’s number one dime. She needed the power it contained. Technically, she didn’t need more magic than she currently possessed, but power calls to power. Besides which, it wasn’t like Scrooge was using it to its full potential.

She felt an odd magical spike and she dismissed it. There were no other magical users that she knew of besides herself and Lena and Lena didn’t count as she was a shadow and not a real being. 

At least, she was fairly certain she was the only magic user in the world. She’d heard rumors of a genie, but that was preposterous. And even if there was a genie with magical powers, they clearly weren’t all that strong if they hadn’t come to her attention before now. 

Shrugging it off, she resumed creating her potion. She wasn’t terribly concerned about interference, not yet. Not until she returned to Duckburg, at any rate.

Then she’d deal with the brats and Scroogie. Oh, that should be fun. She grinned wickedly. She was quite looking forward to it.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt like updating early this week. Also, I have a continuation of A Modern Myth series, but I'm not sure how people feel about that, so I'm holding off on posting it.

Lena felt insecure alone in McDuck Manor. Technically, she wasn’t alone--Louie had decided not to come and Mrs. Beakley was in the manor too, but everyone else had left. Her anxiety had her wandering the halls and attempted to keep it cool, all the while avoiding Mrs. Beakley so she didn’t have to explain her situation to her. She didn’t want to have to open up to her when she was already feeling like she was one step away from cracking up entirely. 

She passed the entrance to the Other Bin and snorted, rubbing her arms. She remembered Magica’s possession all too well. She wouldn’t be doing that again, at least, but then again, Magica had no further use for her shadow creature. Lena’s throat tightened. Magica wasn’t one to keep people around for sentimental reasons, which begged the question--had she meant to spare her or had it been an accident? Surely she would’ve known about the friendship bracelet holding part of Lena’s life force.

Lena fingered it. It retained its odd warmth, though Lena felt cold. Her chest still ached and she knew Webby and Violet would’ve scolded her if they’d known she was walking the length of the manor. Thus far, she’d managed to evade Mrs. Beakley, but her luck couldn’t last. Besides, she had the sense the old bird was well aware of her travails and was waiting for Lena to approach her.

Lena felt her phone vibrate and pulled it out of her pocket.

Louie? Why should Louie text her when they were in the same house? Oh, wait, who was she kidding? Louie would text her if they were in the same room if it required more energy than he was willing to spare. She was growing tired, anyway. Perhaps she could decamp toward the triplets’ room.

She found Louie on his bed with his laptop out and his phone beside it. 

“You got my text,” he said without preamble.

She rolled her eyes. “You could’ve just found me.”

Louie disregarded that and she sat beside him on the bed. She needed to rest now, anyway. Just walking about the manor had taken more out of her than she’d anticipated. She felt weak again and loathed it. 

“I’ve been thinking about the situation,” Louie said. “Magic is more about power, right? It’s about flash, presentation, and appearance. If you appear strong, then no one’s going to bother you.”

“I don’t appear strong,” she huffed. “Not right now. Did you invite me here to rub it in?”

“Uncle Scrooge has magical amulets and other magical artifacts in the Money Bin,” he continued. Lena suppressed a groan. No offense to Louie, she was sure he meant well, but the idea of going through the Money Bin right now was enough to make her want to curl into a ball. It was too much effort. But...then again, since when did Louie expend any more effort than he absolutely had to?

The green-clad teen was clearly up to something. She perked up and Louie smiled.

“You see where I’m going with this?” 

“Not entirely, but I’m listening.”

“Even if the others find Magica, she’s still gonna come back here to finish you off,” Louie said and then winced, realizing how heartless that sounded. “Sorry.”

“No offense taken,” she reassured him. “I’ve been spending the last few days wondering when she’s gonna show up and waste me.”

Never mind that it’d been a rather unpleasant few days, except for her kissing Webby. Color rushed to her cheeks thinking about it. Louie wisely ignored it. Either that or he was too preoccupied with whatever was on his laptop to pay her much mind. He turned the screen toward her.

“A couple of years ago, after the last time Magica tried to raid the Money Bin, I convinced Uncle Scrooge to let us catalog all the magical artifacts digitally so that more than just the Money Bin’s alarms would go off if we were in trouble. This way, I can also see what’s available online rather than going there in person.”

She smirked. “And that appeals to your laziness.”

“Duh. Like I’d do anything more than I absolutely had to,” Louie scoffed. “Plus, with it all cataloged, it’s much easier to find things. Mark Beaks tried to hack into our system a few times and Gyro sent him a couple of nasty bugs.”

He smirked. “Served him right.”

He used the catalog’s filtering function to bring up the magical artifacts that Scrooge possessed. 

“And what do you think these are going to do?” Lena asked. “I don’t even know what half of them are. It’s not like I paid attention when Aunt Magica was lecturing me on magical crap.”

“I hear you,” Louie said. “Old people blathering on is boring. I don’t know that they’ll do anything. But they’ll make Magica _think _they do. Magica might know more about how they function, but if I load you down with a bunch of them, one of them is bound to do the trick. And more than that, they could help you take her down if she’s still a problem. Or at least convince her it’s not worth it to go after you.”

“Hmm. Not so sure she’d give up that fast, green, but it’s worth a shot.”

“Trust me. I know a thing or two about deceiving people.” Louie smirked. 

“And no one’s going to say anything about you jacking the items?” Lena raised her eyebrows skeptically. “No one at all?”

“I’m Uncle Scrooge’s grand-nephew,” Louie scoffed. “Plus, we have full access to the Bin for Binventory. I’ll just tell them that I need to take a couple of things because Uncle Scrooge wanted to see them. I’m sure Uncle Scrooge didn’t tell them before he went off with the others. They’ll never even notice what’s missing before I return it.”

“You really think they’re gonna fall for that?”

“They have before,” Louie said and grinned impishly. “They’re way too busy to care what goes in or out as long as it eventually returns. I’ve ‘borrowed’ tons of stuff over the years.”

“And your uncle has no idea?”

“If he does, he doesn’t care,” Louie said. “He knows everything that goes on in the Money Bin. How can he keep track of every single trinket and bauble? He can’t. And it’s not like I’d hawk it. I’m _family_. How could you accuse me of something so dishonest? I’m hurt, Lena.”

Lena rolled her eyes. “You can’t fool me. I spent fifteen years deceiving people. Drop the innocent act.”

“Fine, fine,” Louie said. “Just showing you that I’m good for it.”

“How’s Louie’s Kids going?” Lena snorted.

“Uncle Donald hasn’t been making his monthly donations lately,” Louie said, smirking. “I’ll need to talk to him about that.”

He paused, the smirk fading. “You should probably stay here. You don’t have clearance for the Bin and anyway, it’d look way less suspicious if I did it than if Magica’s living shadow waltzed in and started nabbing magical stuff.”

“Story of my life. ‘Stay here, Lena.’ ‘Don’t go anywhere, Lena.’ _Ugh_. I appreciate that you guys are trying to protect me, but I’m not gonna break.”

“You passed out at breakfast before,” Louie pointed out. “And you look almost like Duckworth, you’re so pale.”

“Maybe I have been feeling a little under the weather,” she admitted and glowered. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t do anything.”

Louie grinned. “That’s the genius of this plan. I didn’t say you had nothing to do. I just said you couldn’t come with me. See, I have a slight problem with going into the Money Bin by myself.”

“Oh?” 

“Technically...I’m not supposed to do it during business hours,” Louie allowed. “And if Mrs. Beakley or Mom found out, they’d be pissed. That’s why I need you to act as a decoy. 

“You don’t even have to act that much. Just pop up in front of Mrs. B and tell her that you’re not feeling well. Oh, and tell her that you’re dating Webby. The two things ought to distract her enough not to notice that I’ve left the house and gone into the Money Bin.”

“_You _tell her I’m dating Webby,” Lena snapped. “She’s gonna totally kill me.”

“Nope. I’m not dating Webs, first, and second, that’s all you.”

Lena groaned, burying her face in her hands. “She’s gonna totally kill me.”

“That’s why you spring the news on her first and then soften her up by telling her how badly you feel. Really milk it.”

That wouldn’t be terribly difficult, considering how wretched she felt. Still, why was Louie being so helpful? It wasn’t like him to be so altruistic. Something else was going on and her eyes narrowed.

“Why are you doing this? And don’t you dare tell me it’s because Webby’s like your sister and you just feel so bad because I don’t buy it.”

“Consider it a favor for now,” Louie said. “To be repaid at a later date.”

“That sounds ominous.”

“Hey, that’s what I’m offering. Take it or leave it. If you ask me, you don’t have many options.” 

She glowered. He was right--she had nothing. Plus, she’d be exploiting Mrs. Beakley’s concern for her, which meant at least she wouldn’t have to feel like she was making herself vulnerable for no reason. She thought she’d finished scheming after Magica had her own body. Still, what Webby didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her and this was going to work if everything went according to plan. Then again, when did that ever happen? 

“All right, fine,” she agreed and held out her hand for him to shake. He did so, albeit in a cursory fashion, before going back to look at his list. 

“Sent it to my phone and we’re a go,” Louie said. “You know what to do.”

He grinned impishly again. “This shouldn’t be too bad. We’re natural grifters.”

“Yeah, but I gave it up when I came back. I promised Webby no more secrets…”

“She’ll find out anyway after we’re done. And you’re not lying to her--you’re just withholding the truth until a later time. Besides, it’s like a bicycle. You fall off once, you can get right back up.”

She rolled her eyes. “Whatever you say.”

“Believe me, I know what I’m doing,” Louie said. “I have years of experience.”

* * *

As she had told Louie, she was weakened from losing her amulet and it took more strength than she’d wanted to expend to crawl into the kitchen and sit at the table. She wanted hot chocolate to warm herself up, but she didn’t think she could muster up the energy to rummage about in the kitchen. Sooner or later, Mrs. Beakley had to show up here. It was her domain, wasn’t it? 

Ugh, Lena didn’t know. Pillowing her head on her hands, she groaned. 

After what felt like an eternity, she felt someone’s hands on her back. She hoped it was Beakley because she didn’t know who else might be in the manor. There shouldn’t be anyone, save her, Louie, and Beakley, but you never knew with the McDuck Manor. After all, the villains had blown their way in a while back--she knew this thirdhand, having heard from Webby who had told her what Louie said. 

“Are you all right, dear?” Mrs. Beakley asked. Yep, definitely the old bird. Lena relaxed and groaned, turning her head. She didn’t slip off the chair or sink through it, which was a plus. Any time she didn’t betray her magical nature was good, especially considering her pathetic state.

“Can you make me some hot cocoa?” she asked and then groaned. “Wow. I sound even worse than I thought.”

Her voice was weak and quavered. Louie was right. She wouldn’t need to do much acting. 

“Of course,” Mrs. Beakley assured her and put a hand on her forehead, much as Violet had. Lena understood it was an instinct from keeping track of normal people, but it wouldn’t work on her. Besides, she already knew she was running a lower than normal temperature. 

“You’ve got on Webby’s bracelet, I see.”

“It’s the only thing keeping me from sinking into the floor again,” Lena admitted, sheepish. 

Mrs. Beakley growled and Lena froze, returning to normal only when she realized that Mrs. Beakley’s ire was reserved for Magica. 

“That abominable woman,” Mrs. Beakley spat. 

“You tell ‘em, Granny,” Lena said, smirking. “You go right in there and yell at her.”

“I’d do more than that if someone hadn’t been needed to keep an eye on you and Louie,” she said disapprovingly. “Speaking of which, where _is _Louie?”

“In his room, on his laptop. At least, he was the last time I saw him.”

It wasn’t technically a lie. She hadn’t seen him sneak out of the house.

Mrs. Beakley scowled but didn’t call her out on her lying by omission. Then again, sadly, Lena had plenty of experience in subterfuge. She hated doing it, especially to Webby’s grandmother. She couldn’t help but feel it’d make its way back to Webby.

Instead, Mrs. Beakley bustled about, setting up the tea kettle (because how else would you make cocoa?), and then sitting at the table beside Lena. Lena offered her a weak smile.

Part one was complete. She’d elicited her sympathy. Now it was time for stage two, which would be to invoke her ire. Oh, yay. She was really looking forward to that. Not.

“So, I kissed Webby yesterday,” Lena said, waiting for the inevitable explosion that would follow. Instead, Mrs. Beakley raised her eyebrows.

“I know. Very little happens here beyond my notice. For example, I’m aware that Louie is probably plotting to sneak out to the Money Bin to procure something he thinks will help,” she said. Lena sputtered.

“What? But...how could you?” 

“Because I know Louie and I know you were sent here to distract me so he could sneak out,” she answered. 

She smirked at Lena. “Next time you want to kiss my granddaughter, make sure it’s not part of a bet. The walls have ears, you know.”

Lena groaned, burying her face in her hands. Well, this had all gone to hell in a handbasket.

The kettle whistled and Mrs. Beakley hurried over to pour the hot water and then the cocoa mix out. “If you want to date Webby, I have no objections. Even if I did, I suspect you and Webby would work out something regardless.”

“Can this get any worse?” Lena grumbled. She wanted to keep her head in her hands and not look about.

“Probably. Drink your cocoa, dear.”

Lena groaned and bestirred herself to sip the cocoa. It _was _good, rich and sweet. 

“I’ll be certain to act surprised when Louie mysteriously reappears in a few hours with magical amulets and artifacts,” Mrs. Beakley promised. “I didn’t get to be a good spy by ignoring people’s conversations.”

“But how could you--?”

“You left the door open.”

Lena cursed softly.

“Do I need to wash your mouth out?”

“No, no. I’m sorry. I can’t believe I forgot to close the door.”

“You’ve had other things on your mind,” she soothed. “I’m not upset. Just amused that Louie hasn’t learned any better yet.”

Lena sipped at her cocoa.

“In the meanwhile, I’m going to check in on the others,” she promised her. “Assuming Launchpad hasn’t crashed already and stranded them on the other side of the world.”

Muttering darkly, Mrs. Beakley left Lena to her thoughts. She wished she hadn’t. Lena’s thoughts were a currently dark, brooding affair. Even she didn’t want to be near them. Her shoulders sank and she drank her cocoa. It had to be slow or she risked burning her mouth. 

How long would it take for the others to discover Magica wasn’t at Vesuvius and that they couldn’t track her? Or would Magica oblige them and stay where she was supposed to be? Since when did Magica do anything by design and convenience for someone else? Never.

She groaned. She wanted to sleep for a hundred years. Maybe then she’d stop feeling so damn tired. Still, she hoped the others were having some luck.

* * *

The problem, as far as Webby could see, was that they might arrive just in time or too late. There was no such thing as too early. Of course, it’d take time for Magica to whisk herself away too, but she had vanished before they reached her, they’d have no way of knowing where she’d gone. The only way they could win would be if they could stop her before she had a chance to escape.

On tenterhooks, she paced back and forth in the Sunchaser. Della was flying, as she preferred to fly, although she allowed Launchpad to be her co-pilot. Over the years, Della had mellowed toward the younger man, even if it was hard for her to relinquish control of her “Cloudslayer” to him. When matters were this important, Della needed to be in control at the helm.

“Hey,” Dewey said, standing in front of her so she either stopped or walked straight into him. “It’ll be okay.”

“How can you say that?” Webby huffed. “You saw the condition we left Lena in.”

“She was stable,” Violet reminded them both. She was reading a book about magical creatures, though Webby doubted there’d be much material in there about shadow constructs. Tulpas, maybe, and she thought she spied a sword horse in there, but there’d be nothing about shadow magic.

“See?” Dewey said, taking her hands and guiding her toward the seats on the side. 

“If she’s gone, we don’t know how much of a lead she’s gotten,” Webby argued.

“We have no proof either way,” Violet commented. She didn’t look up as she spoke and her beak was almost touching the paper.

“See? No proof means it’s okay,” Dewey argued.

“Absence of proof does not indicate something is true,” Violet retorted. “It merely has not disproven it.”

“Uh, okay,” Dewey said, not following her. Webby sighed. 

“How long until we reach Italy?” she called to Della.

“A few more hours, kiddo,” Della answered. “Might wanna find something to occupy your time until then. I can’t go much faster without putting too much pressure on the engines.”

Webby sighed. She was afraid of that. “Thanks.”

“Hey, hang in there,” Della called back. “Worse comes to worst, she’ll return to Duckburg. It’s not like there are a lot of places with strong magic that she can use. It’s either Vesuvius or Uncle Scrooge’s dime.”

“Aye,” Scrooge agreed. “And it’s not like I’ll be giving that over any time soon. Over my dead body.”

Webby was pretty sure that Magica would try to arrange that but thought it prudent not to say so. She nodded instead, unable to stop thinking about Lena’s predicament. When the time came to throw down, Webby would be only too willing to lay into Magica. Just name the time and place.

Webby glanced at the flight plan on the dashboard. After Della had returned from the moon, she’d implemented a number of features that the Sunchaser had lacked, including an ETA display on the dash large enough for others to read. It was useful, particularly for verifying whether there would be weather altering their course or delaying their arrival. Webby wasn’t sure how she’d wrangled the funds for that out of Uncle Scrooge.

She sighed, opening a book but unable to focus on it. Lena would be all right, they said. She wished she could be that optimistic. She just couldn’t.

Unable to project positivity, she focused on what she knew. Magica, with the amulet, was far more powerful than without. Before, she’d had the amulet augmented with Scrooge’s dime. They had to hope that wouldn’t be the case here because if it was, that would be disastrous. She had a sinking suspicion Uncle Scrooge had taken the dime with him, too, because he didn’t want to be parted with it. That would make him an easy target.

Huey must’ve been thinking along the same lines.

“Uncle Scrooge, you don’t have the dime, right?” Huey asked.

“You wouldn’t have brought it with you when that’s all Magica needs to top off her power, right?” Della added.

An awkward silence ensued and Webby’s heart sank. 

“I cannae just leave it at the Money Bin!” Scrooge protested.

“Yes, you can,” Huey argued. 

“It would be harder for Magica to pry it off me than to break into the Money Bin and steal it,” Scrooge argued.

“Debatable,” Violet said. 

“What do ye mean, ‘debatable’?” Scrooge snapped, outraged. “The villains have gotten past my security before. I donnae want to risk any further problems.”

“Maybe she has bigger concerns than the dime,” Webby offered, but her comment sounded weak even to her own ears. She grimaced. “Who am I kidding?”

“I can’t believe you took the dime with you!” Della huffed. “Why would anyone else steal your number one dime? It’s _just _a ten cents!”

“Ye take that back,” Scrooge retorted. “Ye know it’s worth more than that in sentimentality alone. It was the first dime I ever earned.”

“That, I assume, is why Magica de Spell wants it. Not because of what it is, but what it represents,” Violet said, still not troubling to look up from her book. She frowned, her forehead wrinkled, but whether it was at the conversation or the text, Webby couldn’t say.

“And that’s why I can’t believe you brought it with you!” Della snapped.

“I couldnae leave it behind!” Scrooge protested. Webby smelled a circular argument and groaned, looking at Huey and Dewey.

“We just have to hope she’s there,” Huey said. 

Webby nodded. If she wasn’t, then they’d have to prepare for the worst. They might as well prepare for the worst now--it wasn’t like things were apt to get much better. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, yeah, my shipping prejudices are showing. XD I saw fanart of a specific pairing and thought it was too cute not to include, but I figured it would have had to happen before the triplets.

Lena had fallen asleep at the table. What was worse, her cocoa had gone cold. Wrinkling her beak in distaste, she considered pouring it down the drain, but she wasn’t sure that her legs would cooperate if she attempted to move. Louie had better return soon with those magical artifacts. She reached into her pocket to pull out her cell phone, in the vain hope that it might entertain her, and groaned. The battery had run down, and she had no one to blame but herself. 

Seeing as she’d need to create her own entertainment, she pushed away from the table and promptly fell to the floor. Lena cursed in Italian. Along with English, she was fluent in Italian, though she never spoke it as it reminded her of Aunt Magica. She squeezed the friendship bracelet tightly and willed strength into her limbs. She might have overexerted herself earlier.

At least she hadn’t spilled the now cold cocoa. Lena rolled over onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. Duckworth was floating around up there, though he didn’t pay her any mind. Man, she had less energy than a _ghost_. That was insulting.

The floor was spotless, but what else could she expect with Mrs. Beakley in charge? Duckworth passed through the ceiling and onto another part of the house. She blew him a raspberry. Thanks for nothing, spirit. She didn’t even know how he’d died. Perhaps Scrooge had started rambling about his lucky dime and Duckworth had died of sheer boredom.

She wondered how long she’d be stuck here until someone came along and noticed her. Several long minutes passed and she groaned. Time slipped away from her, much like it had when she’d been stuck in the infinite night of the shadow realm when someone stepped over her on their way to the fridge. 

“Oh, hey,” Louie said. “Are you okay?”

“I’m just lying on the floor because the floor is so comfortable,” Lena said sarcastically. “Help me up.”

“Wait...was the second part sarcastic or just the first?” Louie said, opening the fridge five feet away from her and pulling out a can of Pep. “And do you want one?”

“Help me up, damn you!” Lena snapped. 

“Okay, okay,” he said. 

“And if you drink that Pep first, I’m going to hit you in the head with it,” she warned.

“Hit me in the head with an empty can. Huh. Not much of a threat.”

“Did you bring the magical artifacts or not?” she demanded and he helped bring her to a sitting position at the table. Her head spun and she wasn’t sure she could remain upright. Louie caught her before she crashed to the floor again and she groaned, hating that she was revealing such weakness in front of him. She hated being weak in general and Louie was the triplet she trusted least.

“Man, you don’t look so good,” he said. “Would you like…”

He pulled out an amulet from inside of his hoodie pouch and dangled it in front of his face. She was so desperate for it that it almost felt like a junkie reaching for her fix. Louie draped the necklace around her neck and she waited to see what would happen. With her luck, it’d either be nothing at best or excruciating at the worst.

Coolness spread through her, like the equivalent of chewing mint gum. Considering she was already cold, she feared this wasn’t an improvement. The blue aura traveled up and down her body, much like Webby’s spell had when they were trying to defeat the money shark, and then it stopped at her friendship bracelet. Lena blinked. The dizziness had faded.

“How do you feel?” Louie asked, popping open his Pep.

“Better, actually. Like I’ll never be warm again, but at least I’m not falling over myself.”

“Yeah, I’m not sure how this stuff works either, but as long as you’re not vomiting black goo again, I’ll go with it,” he answered. Lena groaned and put her hand on the amulet Louie had given her. It was frigid, almost like touching the ice and its color had gone from a rosy pink to glacial white. Was it leeching the warmth from her? She hadn’t had much, to begin with. But if that was the case, then why didn’t she feel worse than she had before?

“My phone’s still dead,” she said, scowling at it. She stood and had a strange sensation, like that of becoming stiff all over.

“Um, Lena?” 

Lena stared down at herself. Ice was spreading beneath her webbed feet and she cursed, yelping and jumping up. No matter where she moved, the ice trailed her. Without Magica’s amulet, at least she couldn’t use it as a weapon, but that didn’t stop her from freaking out about it. By the time she forced herself to stand still, almost the entire kitchen floor was covered in ice.

“Man, Beakley is _not _gonna be happy to clean this up,” Louie said, shaking his head.

Lena stared down at the floor and then at her fingers, which had gone translucent. 

“So, are you Elsa now?” 

“Either I have no energy or I turn everything, including myself, to ice,” Lena said. “Great choices.”

“Yeah, maybe we should try something else,” Louie said. “I mean unless you wanted to be the ice queen of Arendelle? If so, more power to you.”

Lena took the amulet off and threw it at his head. The ice melted, leaving a giant puddle in its wake. Strength rushed out of Lena as if someone had drained her of it through a vacuum and Louie caught her again before she crashed into the floor. This was not her day.

“That might’ve been an elemental amulet, come to think of it,” Louie mused. “Let’s see, what else do I have…”

He rummaged through his pouch, which seemed to contain more amulets and diadems that clinked and clanged. He pulled out another one, this one with an amethyst glow that reminded her a little of her old amulet. She took it from him gingerly, wary of another ice explosion, but this time, she felt warm. Not hot, not like she was about to burst into flames, which was good. 

“What is this one?” she asked.

“Uh...hang on, I downloaded the details to my phone…” Louie said and released her so he could scroll down the aforementioned list. “Here. It’s supposed to help boost the connection to the spirit world.”

Lena sighed, relieved. “That’ll probably do it, at least until Webby and the others return with my amulet.”

Her energy remained at a low ebb, but nothing alarming was happening. She didn’t feel like keeling over, which was an improvement. She stifled a yawn and covered her mouth. 

“Hey, I’m glad I could do something,” Louie said and shrugged. 

“Thanks,” she said. She looked at her unappealing cocoa and, grabbing the mug, poured it down the drain. 

“I sure hope the others are having as much fun as we are,” she said sarcastically.

“I’m sure they’re having a blast,” he replied, smirking. “Why wouldn’t they be?”

* * *

Magica was finishing up with her last ingredient and waiting for the cauldron to simmer. It was amazing what magical feats she could accomplish when she had her damn powers back. She would need to take the potion with her when she returned to Duckburg to help destroy Lena’s remnants. She didn’t need the power--she just wanted to obliterate her from existence. 

Settling down with a magazine, she looked up from her makeshift throne at the rapid approach of a plane. Oh, no. Oh, _hell _no. She knew that plane. She knew that plane very well. Magica cursed in Italian and then English. 

Silhouetted against the sun, the Sunchaser resembled an avenging angel. Magica could throw up a smoke bomb, but she would never be able to move in time, not unless she found her broom. Even with it, she doubted she could outpace the Sunchaser even on a good day. Today was not looking like a good day, either.

This was not the order in which she preferred to do things. She had wanted to ensure Lena’s death first and then pursued Webby and Scrooge McDuck. The plane rushed closer in a flight style she also recognized and she groaned. The only thing worse than the Sunchaser bearing down on her was its choice of pilots. 

“Don’t tell me it’s her...don’t tell me it’s her…” Magica muttered, face in her hands. 

“Magica de Spell! We’re onto you!” Della announced, close enough that the megaphone carried her message down. “Also, hey, it’s been a while.”

“Mom!” Dewey cried. “What are you doing?”

“You’re going to pay for what you did to Lena!” Webby interjected, taking the megaphone away and interrupting Della’s discussion with Dewey. Magica almost wished she had a hole she could slink into. Della’s arrival reminded her of a time she’d sooner forget.

There was Mount Vesuvius behind her, but she wasn’t _that _desperate. Not yet, anyway.

“Don’t tell me the brat is still alive?” Magica sneered. “I left her for dead!”

If Webby had had magic, she would’ve sent it fizzling down at Magica and probably eviscerated her, such was the power of her gaze. Magica smirked. As it was, while the plane circled to land, Magica affected nonchalance. The child could pack a punch, true, but Magica had her powers back and she’d been longing to throw down with Webby ever since the brat had prompted her own shadow to betray her.

Della landed, much better than Launchpad (who would have crashed), and despite Webby’s proclamations and Della’s teasing, the crew looked a little nauseated as they departed the plane. Magica smirked and held her staff at her side. 

“Lena stole my powers. I was merely taking them back,” Magica scoffed. 

“Lena has more of a right to them than you do. Because she uses her powers for good,” Webby snapped. Magica threw back her head and laughed mockingly.

“Please. No matter what label she slaps on herself, she’s still a monster. An aberration. She has long outlived her usefulness.”

“She’s just a wee lass,” Scrooge snapped, coming up behind Webby. Violet was at Webby’s side, the two of the three triplets fanned out alongside the girls, and Della brought up the rear.

“So. Magica. Sup?” Della said. 

Magica blushed. 

“Mom, what are you _doing_?” Huey asked, sounding mortified.

“Ye donnae mean to tell me ye had a _relationship _with my sworn enemy!” Scrooge exclaimed.

“It’s complicated,” Della said and shrugged one shoulder. “Besides, I don’t ask you what goes on with you and Glomgold.”

“Nothing goes on with me and Glomgold!” Scrooge retorted, outraged. “We’re just business rivals!”

“Sure you are, Uncle Scrooge,” Della said.

“Wait, Mom. You _dated_…” Dewey didn’t dare finish the sentence. Magica wasn’t about to help him. She was losing her vaunted position as a menace with every word Della spoke. She wanted to bury her face in her hands again.

“It was a fling, all right? A fling!” Magica snapped. “And it was a mistake!”

“You’re telling me,” Della said. “Man, Selene was _not _happy when she heard about it.”

“You told the moon goddess?!” Magica cried, aghast. “That was none of her business!”

The children looked flummoxed, Scrooge perturbed, and Della was determined to hash this whole thing out in public because apparently, she had nothing better to do with her time. Magica groaned.

“I don’t think I _want _to know,” Dewey protested, making a face.

“Good, because I don’t intend to tell you,” Magica hissed. “Can we get on with it?”

“Sure,” Della said. “As long as you admit you should’ve at least called me after Barcelona.”

Magica went scarlet and choked. Meanwhile, Webby was inching closer, attempting to flank her and grab the staff. Della sprang into action just as Magica swung the staff at Webby. Attempting to keep her eyes on both females proved impossible, as Webby evaded her swing and Della crashed into the cauldron with a loud clang. Her metal leg must’ve hit first. It _sounded _painful and Magica winced.

“Ye dinnae plan for us to show up, did ye?” Scrooge asked.

“No, not really,” Magica admitted, attempting to keep track of everyone at once. She couldn’t do that either. Even without Louie, there were four children and three adults--she had no idea where Launchpad had come from and wasn’t about to ask. She was outnumbered.

“Give me back Lena’s amulet,” Webby snapped, circling her along with the other children.

“Or what? You’ll whine at me?” Magica scoffed.

“Or this!” Webby snapped and punched her in the face so hard that Magica’s head snapped back. Webby smiled coldly.

“And that’s just for starters.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be the last. Also, happy NaNoWriMo! Since the rules have apparently changed in that anything you write counts for word count, I don't have to worry about exclusively focusing on my novel. This fic will be done soon and I have no idea what I'm doing with Violet Light. 
> 
> Also, a new Dragonburg series coming up soon. :P 
> 
> Actual notes: This chapter was rewritten because I didn't like how the original came out. This is better, but I can post the deleted chapter if you want.

The golem, at least, was finished. Magica felt power leave her limbs as she transferred her consciousness over to Duckburg. She didn’t need to put up a decent defense because she was no longer on Mount Vesuvius. She managed a weak, sarcastic wave in Della’s direction before she reappeared in another body in an abandoned house on the outskirts of town. Years ago, back when she’d had Poe, she had inhabited this house. Since she hadn’t been here in almost twenty years, the house was barren and dust-filled. Not the most pleasant of places to return to, but this would be a temporary venture.

The body would last twenty-four hours before she fell back into her normal guise in Italy. It moved slowly but possessed great magic as her consciousness had transferred her powers too. Magica yelled in exultation. Finally, she had her powers again. Finally, that ungrateful brat would perish for what she’d done and what she’d subjected Magica to. 

Unfortunately, this body had limitations. She couldn’t fly with it, she couldn’t shapeshift, and she moved slower than normal. It would be a small price to pay to defeat Lena. Then again, if what Webby had told her was correct, which she had no reason to doubt, then Lena would be in no state to fend her off. Magica grinned. 

She’d have to head on foot to McDuck Manor, but with everyone out, she shouldn’t have a problem entering. Everyone...except Louie Duck. That brat had gotten the better of her before. Maybe she ought to kill him too. He wouldn’t be as easy to put down as Lena and he could be tricky, but at least Della couldn’t go mama bear on Magica for murdering her youngest son. By the time she discovered Louie’s death, Magica would be back in Italy.

She would kill Lena and absorb her magic, the missing piece she’d longed for for so long. The only problem she could see was that Lena was still alive, incredibly, despite Magica wrenching her powers back. There had to be a sliver left of Magica within Lena that was propelling her. Or was it that cursed friendship bracelet? If that was the case…

Magica might have a real predicament on her hands. She couldn’t defeat light-sided magic and that bracelet was imbued with Webby’s love and affection for Lena. Magica pulled a face. She didn’t understand why anyone cared for the shadow. It wasn’t like Magica had designed her with charming people in mind. Or really spent any time designing her; it’d been a stopgap measure on her part.

With bated breath, she approached the gates and then, as Della had done years earlier, she attempted to scramble over them. Unfortunately, unlike Della, the DT-87 did not recognize her as part of the Duck family. A small drone materialized and blasted her off the gates. Magica snarled as she flew backward. She almost wished she had the Beagle Boys’ brawn, even if the rest of the plan with Glomgold had done horribly awry. She didn’t have a gift for sweet-talking people, just gaslighting them. And she didn’t care enough for the Beagle Boys to attempt it.

Still, she had other items in her arsenal. She threw a magical bomb through the gates and the drones targeted it. While that distracted them, she scrambled over the gates and landed on the other side. The bomb had taken out two of the drones, though more were coming. She bolted for the door. Painfully slowly, because the golem could not run, she attempted to weave her way from the drones.

She threw a smoke bomb to confuse them again and then another bomb that blew a hole into the front door. Pleased with herself, she sauntered in and a single drone that had barely survived her attacks followed. Louie Duck was in the foyer waiting for her, as was, to her extreme delight, Lena. 

“You should probably go,” Louie said in an undertone to Lena.

“I’m sick of running. I’m sick of hiding. If she’s going to kill me, let her do it,” Lena snarled.

“That’s the de Spell spirit,” Magica sneered. “You should have died a long time ago.”

“Are you sure about this?” Louie murmured to Lena.

Lena nodded and her eyes narrowed. It had amused and then irritated Magica how their eyes looked so different. Lena still had a black streak in her hair, even if she was hiding it. One day, she would look like her. It was only a matter of time.

If she lived that long, but Magica didn’t intend to let her.

Magica smirked. “Now, I assume you know why I’m here.”

“Because apparently, you can’t get enough of me?” Lena retorted sarcastically.

“Because once I’ve destroyed you, I’ll have all of my powers back,” Magica snapped. Her eyes fell onto Lena’s wrist and the friendship bracelets there. Hers and Webby’s. So Webby’s “magic of friendship” really was fueling Lena’s existence. There was also an amulet around her neck Magica didn’t recognize. Magica stepped forward and then snarled as she discovered her feet were frozen to the ground. 

She’d taken her eyes off Louie, who was twirling another amulet around his fingers. Smiling, he sent ice in her direction. Unable to break the ice’s crust, it struck her in the knees. Magica snarled and threw a magical bolt at him that he dodged. The ice shattered and she glanced from Lena to Louie. Louie was the bigger threat. Therefore, Louie had to be destroyed first.

It felt like she was moving through molasses in this body. Louie dodged and ducked far more easily than she would have expected from the least athletic triplet. He then stopped, still smiling, and brandished two priceless magical artifacts. Her eyes widened.

“Where did you get those?” Magica hissed.

“Uncle Scrooge’s Money Bin. It’s amazing the things he has that you’ll never get, isn’t it?” Louie asked smugly.

Magica huffed. She’d constructed another staff to hold her magic and had enough time to bring it up to bear when Lena tackled her to the floor. The shadow girl had more energy than she’d anticipated. Either that or she was on her last legs. Magica smirked and prepared to blast her in the stomach as she had before. She relished the opportunity to kill her.

Smoke flew into her eyes and she gasped, breathing it in as Lena kicked her in the stomach. Choking, she nonetheless clung to her staff as Lena sought to wrench it away. She wished she had another weapon on her. Unfortunately, short of a blade, anything else would kill them both. Magica wanted Lena dead, but she didn’t have a death wish.

They rolled around on the floor and the smoke cleared. Triumphant, Magica raised her staff to crack it against Lena’s head. Except...someone else had it too.

“Oh, did I forget to mention?” Louie crooned, sounding positively gleeful. “Mrs. Beakley’s also home.”

Magica turned her head in time for Mrs. Beakley to clock her in the face. How could she have forgotten to check the area before coming here? Oh, right, she had no magic. And she’d thought this would be so easy. Her head slammed against the floor and sent stabbing pains through her skull.

“You are not wanted here,” Mrs. Beakley snapped. 

Magica pushed herself to her feet and Lena kicked her in the chin, sending her head flying back and her teeth clicking together. At this point, blacking out might’ve been a blessing, but she doubted Mrs. Beakley would grant her that. The ex-spy looked positively feral and Magica sneered. It was weaker than she’d wanted.

“Why do you care what befalls the shadow?” Magica snorted. “She’s not even real.”

“You gonna take that from her?” Louie asked. Red spots danced before Magica’s vision and she growled. She used her staff to heal herself and flew up into the air, out of danger. They could hit her as much as they wanted--she could heal herself. Of course, she’d rather they didn’t smack her around, but…

She grinned and aimed a bolt at Louie. Mrs. Beakley thrust him aside and brought out two sharp-looking blades that had been pinning her hair back. Lena balled her fists, standing at Mrs. Beakley’s side.

“Don’t you dare tell me to leave,” Lena warned. 

“I wouldn’t _dream _of it,” Magica purred and Lena flinched. Magica spun about in a circle, throwing bolts at random, not necessarily to injure but as a cover. As they dodged and duck, she dove down, cracking Lena in the face with the staff. She yanked on her friendship bracelets and then screamed, backing off. Her hand was smoking. 

“That...is weird,” Louie said. Magica blinked back tears. Where her hand had been on the bracelet, there were black marks. It had burned her. Webby’s affection for her best friend was too light to be borne. Magica needed to rid Lena of the amulet, then--that looked neutral. She might not be able to destroy her by physically taking the bracelets off, but she might be able to work around that.

“So, you can’t touch anything that Webby made,” Lena said, sounding smug. Magica hissed, eyes flashing.

Mrs. Beakley had snuck up on Magica and Magica flew out of the way. Her hand, to her dismay, would not heal with dark magic. No matter how hard she pushed into the ley lines beneath the manor, they would not release their energies into her right hand. She was forced to clutch the staff in her non-dominant hand.

“It looks like the bracelets are the key, then,” Louie said. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

Lena eyed the bracelets and nodded at him. Mrs. Beakley attempted an uppercut that missed due to Magica’s levitation and Magica swung another bolt at Louie and Lena. Lena yanked on her legs and pressed her bracelet against her right leg. Pain lacerated her leg and she screamed again, the agony almost unendurable. 

“Bit off more than you can chew, Aunt Magica?” Lena asked. Magica growled and blasted Lena at close range, sending her flying into the banister. Mrs. Beakley stopped her from hitting it and in return, Magica ripped up the floor where Mrs. Beakley was standing. 

“So, is it true that you’re all washed up now? Can’t even defeat a simple friendship bracelet. Tisk, tisk. I’m disappointed in you. Next thing you’ll tell me is that you can’t stand on your own two feet.”

Magica advanced on him and crumpled. Her right leg would no longer bear her weight. No matter. She swooped up into the air again. Ignoring the pain would be difficult, but not impossible. Lena latched onto her cape and Magica cracked her across the face with the staff. It left her bleeding and might’ve damaged her bill. Magica smirked.

Magica didn’t have long to enjoy her attack. Mrs. Beakley landed a stiff uppercut that left Magica’s head ringing. She kicked her in the abdomen and Magica healed herself but fell out of midair. She attempted to stand on her right leg and crashed. 

Despite the blood gushing from a wound on her forehead, Lena dove on Magica. Her wrist smacked her in the face and suddenly, “pain” was too mild a word for the agony that became reality. Her vision was gone and she crashed back into the floor. She couldn’t see, couldn’t heal herself, and was shaking, whimpering and curling into a ball. 

“I think that’s quite enough, Lena,” Mrs. Beakley said. She yanked the staff out of Magica’s limp hands. “I believe this belongs to you, my dear.”

“Is she going to be permanently blind?” Louie asked.

“Who knows?” Lena scoffed. “There’s probably something that could heal her.”

“You could heal me!” Magica snarled. 

“I could. But I won’t,” Lena countered.

“We’d better call Mr. McDuck and tell him what’s happened at the manor,” Mrs. Beakley said. Her footsteps receded, along with Louie’s. Lena lingered and Magica felt her powers sliding away again, leaving her weak and anguished. She reached out for Lena anyway, latching onto the wrist without the hated bracelets.

“Lena, please…” Magica pleaded, not above begging. “I nurtured you when you were first formed. I took care of you. You wouldn’t leave me blind. You have compassion.”

“I’m good. But I’m not that good,” Lena said. “Maybe I’ll heal you later. Maybe. I’ll discuss it with Webby and Violet.”

Magica groaned. That was a ‘no’. 

“Here,” Lena said and a magical wave crashed over her “aunt”. “At least you’ll be quiet.”

Magica slipped into unconsciousness with gratitude.

* * *

“_Are _you going to heal her?” Louie asked after they’d tied Magica up and Mrs. Beakley was talking to Scrooge.

Lena sighed. “She _did _take care of me when I was first formed. It’s why I consider her my aunt. I know she’s not. But she didn’t always use to be such a bitch.”

“Pretty sure she only did that until she could get what she wanted,” Louie pointed out.

They were sitting in the kitchen around the table and Lena had brewed herself a coffee, as Mrs. Beakley was preoccupied. Lena nursed it while she spoke with the youngest triplet. She felt exhausted, despite having her amulet back. It wasn’t physical exhaustion but spiritual. Dealing with Magica de Spell was always draining.

“Probably,” Lena agreed. “But I can’t leave her like that.”

“Can she tolerate being healed by a good person? She can’t even handle touching your friendship bracelets,” he replied.

“That’s true…” Lena frowned and then shrugged. “Guess we’ll find out. But not yet. I want to wait a little while.”

“You still hate her.”

“Don’t you?” 

“Well, yeah, but aren’t you afraid that you’ll turn into her?”

“Every day,” Lena said and stared into her coffee mug. “But I trust Webby and Violet and you guys to keep me in line if I look like I’m going to go the wrong way.”

She sighed. “But showing her mercy after what she did to me...well, we’ll see.”

She was silent for a while and Louie eventually left her alone. So engrossed in her thoughts was she that she didn’t even notice him go.


	9. Chapter 9

Lena had waited until the others returned from Italy to discuss Magica’s fate. If she was a good person, she should let Magica heal and then what? Leave her free to terrorize her again? If she wasn’t, then, well, what was she supposed to do? Keep her blind and in pain? That seemed cruel, although Lena would be the first to admit she deserved it. 

She had needed Webby and Violet to complete the magical circle and restore the amulet. Now that it was back in Lena’s chest, she felt like herself. She met up with her girlfriend and foster sister in front of where they were keeping Magica, in the Other Bin. It was an odd place to stash her, but then again, it wasn’t like McDuck Manor had a dungeon. 

“We need to keep her from wrenching your powers away again,” Webby concluded. They stood in front of Magica’s door. Lena’s feathers prickled, though that might have been from close proximity to Magica. Her sire? She’d never thought too hard about it, but Magica was technically her creator. Or her mother. The latter thought made her pull a face. Magica wasn’t exactly the maternal sort.

“I can’t wear both friendship bracelets forever,” Lena replied with a weak smile. She pulled Webby and Violet into an impromptu hug. “So, we embed the amulet inside of me with magic from the friendship bracelets, which means she can’t touch it, and then we heal her? And set her off on a boat somewhere without supplies?”

Lena couldn’t suppress an impish grin. 

“That sounds like a good plan,” Violet concurred. 

“She’ll probably find a way to drag herself back here,” Lena grumbled.

“But she won’t be able to hurt you again,” Webby soothed, hugging Lena back. “We’ll make sure of it.”

Lena nodded. She would have said she’d believe it when she saw it, but she trusted them. She smiled at them and Violet inclined her head back. Webby beamed at her and warmth blossomed in Lena’s chest independent of the amulet. She raised her hand from Webby’s waist and cupped her cheek. 

“Let’s make magic, nerds,” Lena said, though her eyes were hooked onto Webby. Webby’s smile was effervescent and impossible to ignore. Lena felt like floating just looking at it. She didn’t know how Webby did it. It was like everything Webby touched, including her, became better by her attention. 

“Do you two want a room first?” Violet teased. 

“Shut up, Vi,” Lena grumbled, reddening. Webby looked oblivious, which, come to think of it, was her natural state. Lena gave Violet a sisterly shove and Violet gave her one back. That was the advantage of having a sibling of the same gender. If they shoved you, you could shove them back. Then again, Lena doubted Webby did that. Punch someone, like Louie, yeah, probably. Shove, not so much.

“If you’re sure…” Violet asked and smirked. 

“I’ll put you in a room by yourself,” Lena grumbled.

“I’m not certain how that’s supposed to be a threat, especially if you lock me in with a book,” Violet replied.

“You’re right. It’s not. That was lame. I apologize. I’ll lock you in a room with a TV stuck on a sports channel and no books or a Kindle. That’s more like a threat.”

Violet huffed at her and Lena smirked. She knew her sister.

It was impossible to hear sounds from beyond the doors, so Lena didn’t know whether Magica was aware of their presence or not. If she was, Lena liked to imagine that Magica was pleading for salvation without realizing they were deaf to her entreaties. Besides, there was no real salvation for Magica, nor redemption. She was beyond it. 

They held hands and chanted. As they did, Lena felt the friendship bracelet’s magic flow through her. It contained Webby’s affection for her, as well as Violet’s. They _were _Team Magic, after all. They were part of each other. Lena couldn’t help but smile. And maybe Lena would find a room with Webby after this. But not until they were done.

After they finished, Lena felt free of the ever-present threat Magica had offered her whole life. She felt free, knowing that Magica couldn’t touch her ever again. Of course, not all conflict was physical, but she couldn’t wrench her powers out of her again. 

“All right,” Violet said and turned toward the door. “Let’s heal her and then set her loose.”

* * *

  
  
“I never thanked you properly for helping me,” Lena said, finding Louie in the triplets’ room with his laptop out. “You didn’t have to.”

“You’re my sister’s girlfriend,” he said and shrugged. “And you’ve proved that you’re loyal to this family. ‘Sides, you’re not as bad as you seemed.”

Lena snorted. “Is that a ‘you’re welcome’?”

“As close as you’re going to get,” Louie replied. Lena glanced over his shoulder to see what he was working on and he wrenched his laptop out of her line of sight.

“I’m working on something,” he scoffed. “Now, if you don’t mind…”

“Sure,” she said and then smirked. “I’ll just tell Scrooge that you took all of that stuff from his Bin. I’m sure he won’t be upset.”

“Oh, screw you,” Louie growled and straightened up. He pushed the laptop away and grumbled something about Scrooge getting pissed at him the last time he’d done that.

“Where’s Magica, anyway?” Louie asked as he joined her to grab the magical artifacts and restore them to the Bin before they were missed.

“Oh, she’s on the next plane to Italy,” Lena replied. “As long as she’s powerless and can’t find a way to restore her powers since they are mine now, she’s harmless.”

“Do you really believe that?”

“I’d like to,” she said and shrugged. “Whether it’s true or not is another story, but, hey, we all have to believe something.”

Louie scanned her up and down and snorted himself. “You were making out with Webby.”

Lena blushed again. “How the hell can you tell?”

“You’re bouncing your steps and you look happier.”

Lena rolled her eyes. “You’re just jealous.”

“Of you? Ew, no thanks. I love Webs, but she’s a sister. Not anything else.”

“So, how’s your latest con going?”

“I’ll have you know that Louie’s Kids makes a decent profit now,” Louie said, sounding mildly defensive. “Of course, now that I had to register with Calisota to avoid getting in serious legal trouble, it’s not as much as it used to be. But it’s either that or go to jail.”

Lena raised her eyebrows.

“Yeah, when Uncle Scrooge changed the laws so that kids could enter into business contracts, etc., he also made charities susceptible to taxation if you don’t follow certain bylaws. It’s a bitch.”

“Poor you,” Lena scoffed, utterly unsympathetic.

“Hey, if I’m going to be the richest duck in the world again, I need to plan for it,” Louie said. “Except without the monster chasing after me. I’d like to prevent that.”

“I’m not even going to ask.”

“Probably best you don’t.”

They were heading toward the secret entrance to the Money Bin from the house and Louie nodded at her. She’d have to leave him from here--she didn’t have permission to enter the Bin. It wasn’t fair, but she also wasn’t family, so she supposed she’d have to get used to that. Besides, Webby wasn’t technically family either, no matter how much she felt like she belonged. She couldn’t access the Money Bin on a whim.

Lena’s beak twisted into a smile. She hoped her “aunt” was having a nice, relaxing trip back to Italy.

* * *

“You have got to be kidding me,” Magica snapped, outraged. Not only had she ended up on a flight to Italy without consent, but she was also seated right next to a crying baby. Was there no justice in this world? She loathed children and crying infants more than anything. Magica dug her fingers into her palms. She would find a way to pay Lena, Webby, and Violet back. She would. 

It just might take a while, especially without access to her powers or her fortune, courtesy of Louie Duck. But she’d figure something out. She always did. 

And then they’d all cower before the might of Magica de Spell. It was a matter of time, but it would happen. It would. She refused to accept the alternative, that she was washed up. She would kill anyone who suggested that. She would rip their heart out with her bare fingers. 

Magica seethed. This flight was going to take an eternity. She knew she should’ve killed Lena and Louie when she had the chance.

Beside her, the baby wailed and she snapped, “Oh, shut up, or I’ll give you something to cry about.”

In response, the baby smacked her with its rattle. It was unimpressed with her empty threat. To be honest, so was she. Maybe she _was _washed up, but she wouldn’t remain that way for long. No, she’d rise back up like a phoenix. Resurrect herself and start anew. But first, she needed to find Poe. Someone had to grant her magic again. Or she’d steal it herself.

Now that a plan was trickling through her mind, her temper improved. Perhaps this wouldn’t be as bad as she’d thought…


End file.
